The personal assistant is available as an optional download

Sep 2, 2015 05:13 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft announced earlier this year that Cortana would become available in more countries across the globe with a preview tag, and now that Windows 10 is alive and kicking, the company can finally focus on bringing this plan to completion.

So today, the company has revealed that its very own personal assistant has debuted in Japan, Australia, and India, still in preview stage and still with features that need to be significantly improved in the coming months.

Cortana is available to users in those countries only if they are running Windows 10 Insider Preview builds 10532 or newer, and Microsoft says that it's only offered as an optional download, which means that you have to manually download and install the personal assistant and its language files on your device.

Cortana availability

Australian and Canadian users get Cortana in English, while those in India receive an early version of the personal assistant that's also in English, with Microsoft saying that, for this market, it prepares an improved voice later this month. Japanese insiders get Cortana in their own language.

Later this year, Microsoft will make Cortana available in more countries, including Brazil and Mexico. Cortana will also debut with French support in Canada.

“It is truly a fascinating process to see Cortana evolve for each market. We approach each market rollout with extensive focus groups that answer, ‘What’s important in a personal assistant in this market?’ Based on these research results, we then assemble a local team of creative writers, editors, programmers and voice talent to build a relevant, tailored experience,” Microsoft said earlier this year, when it officially announced the launch of Cortana in more languages and markets across the world.

Even if you're not living in one of the supported countries, you can always switch to the United States or the UK and use Cortana with English support. Of course, personalized content for your location, as well as tailored suggestions and other features won't work exactly as expected.